Trash for Trash Princes

Just another writer and tumblr hag. Way too old for this shit so don't even ask. Into Feminism & LGBTQ+ rights. Pan. Likes poly relationships. Multi-fandomsexual. She/Her. CURRENTLY FANGIRLING: Beetlejuice (all versions), the Hazbin/Helluva-verse, recent musicals (especially if you have any slime tutorials to share), Broadway Baby Boys ALWAYS INTO: Hot Male Trash, Unladylike Women, Evil People of any Persuasion, Sexy Monsters, English/Aussie/Scots/Etc. Accents, Smut, antagonistic romances with fucked up relationship dynamics, and most of all, Gingers.

[madam-o]

Warning: This Blog is Fun-Friendly

This blog is a judgment-free zone that loves and supports all Beetlejuices. If it's stinky and dead and bug-centric and likes to hang out drunk at the race track, it's a friend of mine. I don't care if it's animated, live action, always breaking out into song, or a needy pervert (and it always is a needy pervert), I wanna hug it. Does it have a gothy girl of indeterminate age for a best friend? Great. Does it also have a crush on that girl? Fabulous. The world needs more weirdo creatures and their loner human fixations.

There's room for everybody here. All ships are fine with me, as well as Beetlejuices of all sexual persuasions, gender identities, body sizes, and species. Demons, poltergeists, ghosts, and eldritch tentacled horrors from beyond are all welcome.

Here we're friendly to SFW, NSFW, and just plain bizarre content. So do feel free to pull up a chair, have fun, and RELAX.

[madam-o]

I honestly don't know which death has less dignity, Death by Banana Milkshake Straw or Death by Diner Lobster.

[madam-o]

I literally did not believe that Conquest could be dead at the end of ep 4 because he'd already survived having his head completely obliterated, plus Mark's internal organs were all out on the ground or being snuggled by Conquest like they're his favorite stuffie, yet Mark can't possibly die because it's HIS FUCKING SHOW. So how can Conquest not survive being choked out a little? Make it make sense.

[madam-o]

It cannot be overstated how much representation influences everyone. I spent long DECADES of existence believing in the media-fed opinion that extremely thin white women with blonde hair are the epitome of beauty. Even as I personally rejected shallowness, racism, sexism, body shaming, conformity, etc, this belief still seemed a painful, unrefutable truth in the deepest part of my heart. I didn't like it, but that was just how it was. If I watched something and didn't think the "incredibly hot woman" character was really all that, it was only because I'm weird/not a guy/secretly jealous.

Now, after only a few years of more diverse casting being apparent in media, I know that this "painful truth" is objectively not true. It's kind of insane to think that the blonde/skinny/white beauty myth was ever something I could secretly agree with for most of my life, in fact.

And I don't feel it's even necessary to explain myself in any way. Just...look at people. Look at a lot of different people. Different hair types, different skin tones, different body shapes, sizes, heights, etc. Skinny and pale is hardly the most visually interesting thing to look at, much less attractive.

When someone tells you "this one thing is just what people truly want, accept it", think about what's actually attached to that want. It's not about any kind of aesthetic objectivity, it's about the needs that this standard fulfills. It's about social perception, control, power, fitting into a role, all that bs. Not a bit of it about actual sensory pleasure, attraction, or beauty.

[falsedetective]

cake is such an underappreciated band. i can’t believe we brought back low rise flare jeans before we brought back cake in the top 40

[falsedetective]

i’m just saying cake’s music would be widely regarded as so sexy if it wasn’t for all the mariachi horns and vibraslap and the vocalist didn’t always sound like he was explaining his suicide plans to a gun store clerk in sacramento. the world wasn’t ready for them

[digital-morganism-deactivated20]

The fact that it sounds like a dispassionate reading of a terrorist manifesto is a feature

[madam-o]

Possible controversial take:

The Muppet Show special was...okay. A decent starting point. I've definitely seen worse Muppet properties. It needs a bit of work. It certainly LOOKS like the original, but it's a rather superficial resemblance that's rarely more than skin deep.

There's some things that are just too hard to recreate in a different place and time, and the Muppets are a perfect example of this. Puppetry is an artform that is very dependent on the individual puppeteer and their specific talents. Ntm the puppet designers, fabricators, musicians, etc also working behind the scenes.

The special impressively replicates the look of the original, but The Muppet Show was more than just a few familiar characters, sets, and tropes. It was also uniquely creative in its puppetry sequences because of Jim Henson and his crew. The show was imbued with their talent and personalities. It was also suitable for the entire family in a way that wasn't afraid to be for the adults in the audience as much as the children and I think that's been a balance that the Muppets have struggled with for years now.

The songs the special chose were often questionable. Mostly weirdly random picks from too long ago (or possibly not long enough ago). I will say that Rizzo the Rat is perfect casting in the role of The Weeknd though. I feel appropriately creeped out when he sings about needing my touch. "Islands in the Stream" is a period-appropriate choice for the original Muppet Show, and it kinda works as a Sabrina Carpenter/ Piggy duet. "Manchild" was a decent opening number, but the sequence didn't really capture the cleverness and humor that I was expecting. But I will say that Sabrina Carpenter fits really well in the Muppet world.

And yes, the voices were often off the mark and distracting. SOME were very good recreations of the original voices, while others were really...not. I could get used to them though if I enjoyed the performances enough, and I do think that New Kermit Matt Vogel has the talent to make it work. It's just that he sounds absolutely nothing like Jim Henson, who WAS Kermit and vice versa.

If they continued, I'd hope to see some cool musical guests like Lady Gaga, Elton John, or Bad Bunny. I'd say Katy Perry here too, but...it's Katy Perry. I'm pretty sure she already did Sesame Street, anyway (oh, that's right, it was a whole THING). As far as actors, I think any of the Skarsgaards (or even better, a barbershop quartet of them) would suit the bill, or any SNL cast members from the last several years.

And bring back Steve Martin! Pretty sure Paul Williams is still with us, too. Maybe do a tribute to Bob Denver while we're at it.

Damn, I really want this revival to work, now.

[baratheonpilled]

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 1.04

[madam-o]

Iron Lung thots

Ya know what woulda been great? IF I COULD HEAR OR UNDERSTAND ANY OF THE FUCKING DIALOGUE IN THIS MOVIE. The story is confusing enough without the shitty audio making me feel like a deaf old lady.

[madam-o]

Send Help thots

You know what's REALLY insulting to me as a woman? When an "unattractive" female character is cast with a conventionally and obviously beautiful actress, but they put a coupla those fake moles on her face and style her look really badly to indicate her average looks. I'm sorry, but that never has and never will fool anyone. I like Rachel McAdams, but she was very miscast. Next time, ball up and hire a good comedian with some dramatic acting chops who suits the bill, like Bridget Everett. Fucking cowards.

Btw the "twist" ending was bullshit and made no sense. That was not the dynamic between them at all and it basically ruins her character. Don't be so afraid of the obvious feminist themes next time. Again: fucking cowards.

[nova-asker]

This is my Lyonel Baratheon propaganda

[not-tootall]

Daniel Ings as the Laughing Storm A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 1.01

[madam-o]

So I never heard of Nanalan' in my entire life until yesterday, which is crazy late to this party, but I love Mona, Russer, Mr. Wooka, and Nana to the very bottom of my tiny, shriveled, black heart.

[madam-o]

...and the Avatar franchise continues to be both the most visually impressive and fucking stupidest thing I've ever seen.

[madam-o]

Sooo I guess actually fixing the many problems with Wicked's second act was just too much work to bother with. And I get it. Why spend the effort to fix a very flawed play when you're already guaranteed major box office numbers by just mostly working with what was already there?

But it's like, look, Wicked the Musical, your whole thing about being a new take on an old classic only works if you actually address the original story, especially all the plot complications you've introduced with all these changes. How can you NOT explore the situation with everyone in Dorothy's party secretly knowing each other? Why create that situation and then do absolutely nothing with it? Don't you realize that the Dorothy portion of the story is one of the most anticipated parts of the whole thing for the audience and skipping over almost all of it is a letdown and wasted opportunity?

How can you introduce interesting character development for the secondary characters, only to have them totally disappear from the narrative? Boq is transformed into a metaphor for toxic masculinity...okay sure, and then what? Why so many damn threads that lead nowhere?

And I know you want to provide good representation for disabled characters, but Nessa is just not meant to be a positive role model for anyone. You can't fix her, she's supposed to be a total mess. Her dad completely fucked her up and made her a possessive, entitled, insecure, rich bitch like himself. Stop trying so hard to make her a better person.

This movie is over 2 hours long but honestly it feels skimpy. Hollow. Like it's rushing through all the beats to get to the finish line. Just, "Thanks for buying the ticket, here's your sad and predictable ending. Popcorn and other refreshments are available in the lobby."

Not that there weren't several things to like about "For Good", it's just that they weren't really enough. This is just always gonna be that show with the great first act and seriously disappointing second act.

[madam-o]

Charlie Morningstar's Rich White Liberal Privilege (or Guess What, This Show Isn't About Getting Everyone Into Heaven)

So in fandom, characters catch hate for a multitude of reasons. Usually it just takes one mistake, flaw, or unflattering moment in an episode for picky fans to write off a character completely because their crimes are unforgivable. Charlie has had definitely more than one of these unflattering moments, but still people seem surprised and annoyed that she is continuing to screw up and hasn't become a perfect protagonist already.

So, the thing about Charlie? She's her dad's daughter. Full of a sense of superiority and feeling the need to fix others to fit her concept of what good is. Full of herself and her vision, unable to deal with the idea of failing, much less the concept that she could be doing things wrong or that she might need to examine herself for the flaws she sees in others.

She doesn't understand Sinners or their needs because she's not one of them. She was raised like an angel, looking down on them at a distance. Unlike her dad, she still wants to help them, but she works by theory rather than by actual research. She has endless faith that the universe is fair and good. She suppresses anything negative or dark in her nature to make up for not being a full angel. The feeling that she's going to be a failure is a constant anxiety.

So when Emily informs Charlie that redemption works, this is kinda the worst thing possible for Charlie's ego and she goes into Turbo Charlie Mode. She doesn't think about anything other than getting the word out and proving VoxTek's reports about her wrong. She doesn't get that Vox and co are not interested in the truth, and she overlooks that Angel Dust will be scared and upset by their presence. She won't listen to anybody, including her "obvious voice of reason" girlfriend.

This isn't character assassination or regression though. The hotel is still only in its early stages and Charlie was terrified that Pentious died for no good reason. Learning that he's in Heaven instantly means to her that she was right about everything. She oversimplifies everything in her mind like she always does.

Charlie cannot learn until she fails. She has to see the ugliness in herself and accept that its okay that it's there. In her, and in everyone. Heaven isn't paradise, and the angels don't know what they're doing any more than she does. The powers that be don't necessarily have people's best interests at heart. Following the rules guarantees nothing. The world operates in shades of gray.

But she doesn't know all this yet. It's kinda the whole point of the show to get her there over the course of several seasons EVENTUALLY. I don't want a perfect Charlie any more than I want Heaven to be right or for Alastor to be secretly wholesome. That's not what this show is about to me.

[madam-o]

Eternity? Thanks, I hate it. (Spoilers)

I've been thinking about the afterlife lately. Not for any soul-searching reason, but because it's all over the media I'm currently consuming. For instance, I just watched the movie "Eternity" with Elizabeth Olsen, which unfortunately turned out to be a pretty standard romance film despite having an intriguingly terrible and nightmarish afterlife system that could've been explored and critiqued, but instead merely serves as the backdrop/obstacle for the story's love triangle.

In "Eternity", freshly deceased souls are transported to a painfully orange, latter 20th century themed weigh station where they are housed in hotels for a week while being constantly bombarded with ads and salespeople pushing an endless list of themed eternities at them (i.e. Capitalism World, Studio 54 World, Infantilization World, and Man Free World, which is currently taking clients for the waiting list of version #444). It all sounds pretty good especially because there are no moral requirements to get in, until you learn that you only have the one week to choose and once you're in an eternity, that's it, forever.

You're encouraged not to wait on loved ones, though you can take on a shitty job with cramped employee housing if you insist on it. Some people understandably try to escape or jump eternities, but they always get caught and are then shoved into "the void" forever. WHY? Who knows. It's just how things work.

Which is all supremely fucked-up, no? Firstly because ANY afterlife catering to a specific taste is eventually going to become unbearable, especially one themed after Studio 54 or capitalism or infantilization. Even Man Free World has to drive its inhabitants crazy after a few dozen millenia. A fantasy vacation stops being fun once it becomes an endlessly repetitive existence.

And why must people who object to this system and break the rules be immediately banished to a dark void for their eternity? Wtf? The powers that be can't take any criticism or change anything apparently??

But the horror of the eternity facing them doesn't seem to bother the three main characters, only who's going to get to spend it with the female protagonist. They don't worry about being trapped in an eternally crowded beach or isolated and bored in a mountainside cabin forever. And even more, they don't examine how unhealthy it is for the husbands to have to compete for their wife's affection and prove themselves as the best provider of her future eternal happiness. She's been the object of their affection and approval for their whole lives and beyond, but she doesn't really call them out on how much they're laying on her or advocate for any different type of arrangement, other than just leaving both of them for her best friend and Paris World (which leads to the classic, cliched train station scene).

I just found the set-up so, so interesting. It creates such a nifty dystopian afterlife with the potential to comment on the bullshit that we sell ourselves about how happy endings are supposed to work, but there's no real follow-through on any of it.

It did make me wanna rewatch "Defending Your Life" with Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks, though. Seriously similar vibes.

[hgedits]

sanctus dominus